World’s local governments rally in California to fight climate change

Sunrise at the Central Thailand Solar Farm in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. Image: Local authorities will carve out a larger role in fighting rising temperatures globally, as national governments have been slow to take action, said organisers of a climate change summit beginning on Wednesday in San Francisco. About 4,500 delegates from the city and regional governments, as well as industries and research institutions, will attend the Global Climate Action Summit , which was put together by Californian authorities and the United Nations. The three-day gathering will deepen the leadership of sub-national authorities in curbing climate change, a battle that almost 200 nations have also joined under the Paris climate accord, according to organisers. “We’re moving into a new wave, a new phase of stepped up climate action,” said summit spokesman Nick Nuttall, adding that the event is expected to yield joint pledges to limit temperature increases. The gathering reflects a desire to bypass the slow progress of national governments in implementing Paris agreement goals, said Michael Burger, executive director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at New York’s Columbia University. We are late, and we have to accelerate our efforts to reduce emissions. The Paris pact aims […]

Grant Brown is a passionate environmentalist, driven by a need to “leave it better than he found it”. This drive, combined with a capacity to understand power solutions of all types, helps him in his day job as VP Marketing at a start up clean technology company. His goal personally as well as professionally, is to help and inspire others to become a part of the green shift and to leave a positive legacy in the world.